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VB.NET

Outlook -- Search Messages in a Particular Folder

See more Outlook Examples

Demonstrates search the messages in a particular Outlook mailbox folder.

This uses the OData $filter and $search system query options. See OData System Query Options for general information.

Also see OData URL Conventions for information about $filter, $search and other query options.

This example demonstrates the following searches:

  • Find emails from a particular email address.
  • Find emails where the subject contains a particular word or phrase.
  • Using an "AND" expression.
  • Find emails received in the last 24 hours.
  • Find emails received in October 2016
  • Find unread emails
  • Find emails containing a particular phrase in the body.
  • Free-text search of a keyword or phrase.
  • Free-text search of an email address.
Note: This example requires Chilkat v9.5.0.68 or greater.

This example applies to: Exchange Online | Office 365 | Hotmail.com | Live.com | MSN.com | Outlook.com | Passport.com

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VB.NET 
Dim success As Boolean = False

' This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
' See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

Dim http As New Chilkat.Http

' Use your previously obtained access token here:
' See the following examples for getting an access token:
'    Get Microsoft Graph OAuth2 Access Token (Azure AD v2.0 Endpoint).
'    Get Microsoft Graph OAuth2 Access Token (Azure AD Endpoint).
'    Refresh Access Token (Azure AD v2.0 Endpoint).
'    Refresh Access Token (Azure AD Endpoint).

http.AuthToken = "MICROSOFT_GRAPH_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Dim sbResponse As New Chilkat.StringBuilder

' In this example, we'd like to get the messages in the folder "/Inbox",
' but we must specify the corresponding folder_id.  The best way to do this is to create
' a local map of folderPaths-to-folderIds.
' This example does it:  Create Outlook Folder Map)
Dim htFolderMap As New Chilkat.Hashtable
Dim sbMap As New Chilkat.StringBuilder
sbMap.LoadFile("qa_data/outlook/folderMap.xml","utf-8")
htFolderMap.AddFromXmlSb(sbMap)

' Get the ID for the "/Inbox" folder:
Dim folderId As String = htFolderMap.LookupStr("/Inbox")
If (htFolderMap.LastMethodSuccess <> True) Then
    Debug.WriteLine("Folder ID not found")
    Exit Sub
End If


success = True
Dim json As New Chilkat.JsonObject
json.EmitCompact = False

http.SetUrlVar("folder_id",folderId)
http.SetUrlVar("select","subject,from")

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Only return emails from "chilkat.support@gmail.com"
http.SetUrlVar("filter","from/emailAddress/address eq 'chilkat.support@gmail.com'")

' To return the full content of each email, omit the "&select=..." part of the URL.
success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse)
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Only return emails where the subject contains "Amazon"
http.SetUrlVar("filter","contains(subject,'Amazon')")

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse)
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Only return emails where the subject starts with "this email" and the from address is support@chilkatsoft.com
' (the startswith function is case insensitive)
http.SetUrlVar("filter","startswith(subject,'this email') and (from/emailAddress/address eq 'support@chilkatsoft.com')")

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse)
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Only return emails received within the last 24 hours
Dim sbExpression As New Chilkat.StringBuilder

sbExpression.Append("receivedDateTime ge ")
Dim dt As New Chilkat.CkDateTime
dt.SetFromCurrentSystemTime()
dt.AddDays(-1)
sbExpression.Append(dt.GetAsTimestamp(False))

http.SetUrlVar("filter",sbExpression.GetAsString())

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse)
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Only return emails received in October 2016
Dim dtObj As New Chilkat.DtObj
dtObj.Year = 2016
dtObj.Month = 10
dtObj.Day = 1
dtObj.Utc = True
dt.SetFromDtObj(dtObj)

sbExpression.Clear()
sbExpression.Append("(receivedDateTime ge ")
sbExpression.Append(dt.GetAsTimestamp(False))
sbExpression.Append(") and (receivedDateTime lt ")
dtObj.Month = 11
dt.SetFromDtObj(dtObj)
sbExpression.Append(dt.GetAsTimestamp(False))
sbExpression.Append(")")

' This is the expression we just built:  (receivedDateTime ge 2016-10-01T00:00:00Z) and (receivedDateTime lt 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z)
Debug.WriteLine(sbExpression.GetAsString())

http.SetUrlVar("filter",sbExpression.GetAsString())

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse)
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Return unread emails
http.SetUrlVar("filter","isRead eq false")

' success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Return emails with a plain-text or HTML body containing the phrase "Outlook 365"
http.SetUrlVar("filter","contains(body/content,'Outlook 365')")

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse)
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Use the $search query option instead of $filter.
' $search is a free-text search over whatever fields the server deems appropriate, such as in the subject,
' body, address fields, etc.

' Search for the word Amazon
http.SetUrlVar("search","Amazon")

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$search={$search}&$select={$select}",sbResponse)
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())

' -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Search for chilkatsoft.com
' Some chars, such as the "." make it necessary to enclose the search expression in double-quotes.
http.SetUrlVar("search","""chilkatsoft.com""")

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$search={$search}&$select={$select}",sbResponse)
If ((success <> True) And (http.LastStatus = 0)) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

json.LoadSb(sbResponse)
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit())